Healthy Pumpkin Pie

Happy Thanksgiving!

What are you thankful for? Think of at least 5 things you are thankful for, write them down and continue to add to the list the rest of the year. If you are ever feeling down, go back to the list of things you are thankful for, I am sure your mood will lighten up!

Things I am thankful for: 

My health, family, my faith in the Lord, my loving fiance, food on the table, being able to be in school, my jobs, and so many other things. 

The recipe redux's November theme is to "trim the table" during this baking season. What a perfect theme for 4 days before the biggest eating day in America! The average Thanksgiving meal provides all or more of the calories for the whole day with many high sugar, fatty  Here are a few ideas to prevent the need to unbutton your pants or pass out on the couch after dinner on this Thanksgiving day:

• Turkey: Choose a fresh turkey that you can control what oil or herbs you add, rather than buying an already seasoned turkey. Pick the white meat off the bird, which is lower in fat. Here is a homemade smoked turkey breast we made one Thanksgiving.
• Stuffing: Make stuffing from scratch with stale whole wheat bread or brown and wild rice. Here is my recipe: Wild rice and quinoa stuffing with sweet potatoes
• Sweet potato casserole: It is usually made with candied sweet potatoes, brown sugar, and marshmallows=sugar overload!! Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet, so no need for the all that sugar! Here is my recipe, with a lower amount of added sugar: Sweet potato casserole or just eat a plan sweet potato with cinnamon on top! 
• Green bean casserole: Usually made with high salt and high fat ingredients, including canned green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and topped with fried french onions. Here is my healthy recipe: Green bean casserole
• Cranberry sauce: 1/2 inch piece has 22 g of sugar, cranberries are tart so that is mostly added sugar! If you are able to make a homemade sauce, which you can control the sugar, otherwise just skip it or have a bite. Sorry, I haven't made a healthy recipe, yet!
• Gravy: Is made from the fat from the turkey, so it is hard to have a healthy gravy unless you make it with stock or skim the fat from the drippings. Instead of covering the whole plate with gravy (I have seen it done before!), use it sparingly. In my blog post homemade smoked turkey breast, you will find the gravy recipe we used (still not as healthy as I would like). 
• Dinner roll or biscuit: Bring whole wheat or just skip it, you can always have a roll during the off season, so enjoy the "Thanksgiving food" first. 
• Pumpkin pie: Usually made with condensed milk, white flour and buttered crust, added sugar, and topped with whip cream. Below is a new recipe I created for pumpkin pie that is high in protein and healthy fats. The only sugar is from dates, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin. Plus, you don't have to feel guilty to eat it for breakfast!

Healthy Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients for pie crust:

1 1/2 cups Almond flour
1/4 cup any raw nuts (I only had almonds)

1/4 Flaxseed
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

*These ingredients are expensive, here is a cheaper and healthy option for my whole wheat crust

Ingredients for filling: 

1 cup Dates (soaked and pitted)*
8 ounces silken tofu
1- 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree

1 Sweet potato (peeled, boiled, and mashed) *

2 teaspoons cornstarch 
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Fine salt

Ingredients for whipped cream:

1 can coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9 inch pie pan.
2. In a food processor, mix dry ingredients and add eggs and vanilla extract in. Blend until it forms a ball.
3. Transfer ball of dough into sprayed pan, press down evenly (or you can try to roll it out before placing into a pan). 
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes, not allowing the crust to become too dark.
5. In the food processor, blend dates (make sure they are soaked and pits removed) until smooth.
6. Add the rest of the filling ingredients and blend until smooth. Taste to see if you want to add anything else (I didn't add sugar but if you wanted it sweetened, add sugar/sweetener. If you like your pie spiced up, add more spices.)
7. Bake for about 30 minutes until golden on the top, without burning the edges (you can cover the crust with foil).
8. Let the pie sit before serving.
9. To make the whipped topping: flip coconut whip cream upside down, let it chill in the refrigerator over night. Once ready to prepare, flip upside down, open can. Separate the thick cream with the liquid. Take the thick cream, whip and add the vanilla extract. Use the liquid for a smoothie or something. 
10. Enjoy for breakfast, snack, or dessert!

  *Prepare these items before starting the recipe

 

 

 

Regular  349 calories 42g carbs 17g fat (shortening) 7g protein 353g sodium 25g sugar (mostly added sugar) http://allrecipes.com/recipe/13711/homemade-fresh-pumpkin-pie/

MissSweetPotato’s Recipe 306 calories 36g carbs 16g fat (healthy fats) 12g protein 79g sodium 19g sugar (no added sugar)

(Above chart compares 1/8 slice of a general pumpkin pie to the healthier pumpkin pie from above)

Are you interested in making your pumpkin pie with fresh pumpkin? Find out the correct pumpkin to pick with the video below. This video was filmed by Nicole from her series "How does it grow?"on my family's farm with my brother, Matt, as the star! Some interesting facts about pumpkins and "pumpkin puree".
Check it out here: Nicole "How does it grow?" at Duffield's Farm

Psalms 100: 1-5 A psalm of thanks,

"Shout triumphantly to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with celebration! Come before him with shouts of joy! Know that the LORD is God he made us; we belong to him. We are his people, the sheep of his own pasture. Enter his gates with thanks; enter his courtyards with praise! Thank him! Bless his name! Because the LORD is good, his loyal love lasts forever; his faithfulness last generation after generation."

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